Happy New Year!

Probably the earliest use of flags was to rally the troops in
war. Flags identified friend and foe in
the din of battle and could communicate orders to combatants on land and on
sea. Over centuries the usage grew to include somber ceremonies, but in all
these usages flags belonged to authorities and not to the common people.

In the United States, the bond between flags and people grew
during the U.S. Civil War. Whittier’s poem “Barbara Frietchie” relates the tale
of a woman who defies Confederate soldiers who fired at a U.S. flag displayed
from her attack window.

Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff

Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf;

She leaned far out on the window-sill,

And shook it forth with a royal will.

“Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,

But spare your country’s flag,” she said.

During and following the First and
Second World Wars, display of the U.S. flag by civilians grew exponentially. Today,
the United States is somewhat unique in the world. Flag display on homes and businesses is more
common than perhaps in any other nation.
Not having a monarch as the head of state, the Stars and Stripes has
become America’s great symbol of our nation’s shared traditions, goals and
aspirations.

Why do we fly flags? While flags play an important part in solemn
ceremonies, the exuberant display of Old Glory springs forth in
celebration. While flags find display
daily, they break forth on homes and lining streets on holidays.

As 2018 passes into history, New
Year’s celebrations ring out for 2019 as fireworks light the skies. Moreover, New Year’s Day is the first flag
flying holiday of the year with many more national days of celebration. Join Colonial Flag Foundation in flying the
flag to celebrate all that unites us as a people.